China – The trip of a lifetime
The trip lasted two and a half weeks, starting off in the northern city of Tianjin, a few hours bus ride from Beijing.
The first week saw all 11 of us immersed in intensive Mandarin classes at the Foreign Studies University, culminating in an assessment arranged by Hanban, the Chinese equivalent of the SQA.
In-between, the group took part in cultural sessions on calligraphy, tea-appreciation, dumpling-making, traditional Chinese music, clay moulding and baking and also tried their hand at games like Chinese chess and Wei Chi (aka Go).
Everyone attended a Beijing Opera performance and had a chance to dress up and act in the opera costumes.
The Balfron team also braved 40-degree heat to try tai chi outdoors and kung fu, which took place when they visited the school with which Balfron has been paired.
After the visit, the rest of the day was In July, 10 pupils and one teacher from Balfron High School flew to China for an educational trip organised by the Chinese government through the Confucius Institute, which is based at Strathclyde University.
Teacher Steve Allan penned this article using blogs written throughout the trip.
spent with local families, who cooked for the group and took them out on cultural activities.
There was still time for a guided tour of the famous and much-loved Mahua food factory and museum and to try out delicious local specialities like flower cakes and sesame twists.
The wide Hai river cuts through the middle of Tianjin and, at night, with its amazing architecture lit up, a boat ride was a necessity.
Everyone learned a Mandarin song and performed the song during a ceremony where their Hanban pass certificates were handed out in front of a packed hall of Chinese and Scottish officials and students.
At the start of the second week, the group, travelling with students and teachers from 12 other schools across Scotland, made their way to Jinan, the main city in Shandong province, some six hours south of Tianjin by coach. Jinan is known as “the city of springs” so it was essential that a visit should be made to the celebrated hot springs at Baotu in Jinan.
There was also a visit to the Shandong Museum and more classes on calligraphy, printing, puppetry, archery, music and art. The team also travelled to Daming Lake for the most beautiful lakeside walk.
The next few days were spent in blazing sunshine in Qufu in Shandong where Confucius was born, lived and died. The visit included time at the Confucius mansion and temple, which was begun in 478BC, one of the three largest ancient architectural complexes in China.
Afterwards, there were more opportunities to try out bartering language in the marketplace in Qufu. The next stage of the trip was the long journey back to Beijing.
On the first full day, the Balfron team visited The Great Wall which all agreed was a highpoint of their time in China.
Whilst in Beijing, they walked through the Summer Palace, boated upon its lake, had a guided tour of Tiananmen Square, visited The Forbidden City and its imperial gardens and the beautiful Temple of Heaven, an ancient place of worship.
One unusual but interesting afternoon saw rickshaw rides around the formerly working-class area of Beijing - the Hutongs - followed by a talk inside one of the houses from a friend of martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li. This was topical because there had been a visit to a kung fu show the night before.
Over the next two days there were more opportunities to shop and window-shop in well-known local haunts in the Hutongs, Qianmen Street and in the famous Pearl Market.
On the last day, there was a visit to the Olympic Park, the Birds Nest Stadium and the Water Cube Aquatics Centre. The last afternoon was spent at the sprawling Beijing Zoo but, unfortunately, the pandas were napping!
Each student had time to visit the Hanban Confucius Headquarters in Beijing and to meet the First Secretary for Scottish Affairs from the British Embassy in China, Martin McDermott.
He spoke about his role in developing relations between Scotland and China, and the possibility for students of winning a scholarship to study for one year in China.
The entire group also visited Beijing Foreign Studies University to watch a play given by Chinese primary school children and spend time with them.
Students who went on the trip: Callum Adolphus, Angus Brownlie, Lewis Forbes, Erin Gallacher, Lauren Harvey, Ellie Lang, Lucy Paterson, Harriet Patterson, Jenny Smith, Jemma Whyte. Teacher: Mr Steve Allan.